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Mustafizur Rahman Chooses PSL Over IPL Amid India-Bangladesh Tensions
Mustafizur Rahman, Lahore Qalandars, PSL: After being dropped from the IPL 2026, Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman will now be seen playing in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). He has been acquired by the Lahore Qalandars. Rahman will receive a salary approximately 77% less in the PSL than in the IPL.
Bangladesh's star fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman is set to be seen in action in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) as he opted to withdraw from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. The Lahore Qalandars franchise has roped in the player through a direct contract.
The PSL franchise announced this direct signing on Thursday. Lahore Qalandars wrote on their official account, "Our Bangladeshi brother Mustafizur, who was selected in 2016 and 2018, is now our direct signing and is finally back in the family. Once a Qalandar, always a Qalandar."
Nonetheless, this deal would mean a loss of around 77% less than what he would earn from the IPL contract. This excellent death bowler was signed by the Kolkata Knight Riders franchise for a staggering amount of ₹9.20 crores during the IPL mini-auction event held in December. He was also the only Bangladeshi player to be awarded a contract for the IPL 2026 season.
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With Lahore Qalandars, he will receive ₹6.44 crore (Pakistani Rupees), which translates to approximately ₹2.08 crore (Indian Rupees). This means he will have to endure a massive salary cut of approximately 77.4%. Amid strained relations between India and Bangladesh, the BCCI directed KKR to release Mustafizur from the team on January 3rd. No official reason was given for this decision.
In response, Bangladesh banned IPL broadcasts in the country, while the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) urged the ICC to shift its T20 World Cup matches out of India, citing security concerns. The ICC repeatedly rejected this appeal and even commissioned an independent investigation, which ruled out any threats to the venues. Despite this, the BCB remained firm on its stance. Ultimately, the ICC expelled Bangladesh from the T20 World Cup and included Scotland in its place.
This will be Mustafizur's second appearance in the PSL. He previously played for Lahore Qalandars in the 2017–18 season. During that time, he took four wickets in five matches and had an economy rate of just 6.43.
